NFL Playoffs: Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes rekindle their feud
Two years prior, the Kansas City Chiefs were leading the Buffalo Bills by a slim margin at home during their divisional playoff matchup. Next, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes put on a quarterback master class. The lead switched hands three times in the last two minutes before the Chiefs forced overtime with a field goal, which they won 42โ36 on the first drive.
For the two young stars, Mahomes and Allen, the game seemed to portend the start of a legendary rivalry. In the aftermath, Mahomes made a suggestion to that effect when he stated, “We’re going to play this team [the Bills] a lot in games like this.” There will be a lot of battles with that quarterback [Allen], that coaching staff, and those guys.”
The upcoming quarterback duel, which might go down as one of the all-time greats, will take place on Sunday in the divisional round when Buffalo hosts the reigning champs. And there will be plenty more drama this weekend as three hot underdogs look to upset the favorites and the top seeds enter the play-offs with first-round byes.
Mahomes and Allen met for the first time in 2020, and since then, their paths have crossed frequently. This is their third play-off encounter in as many years. They are 3-3 versus one another overall, but Mahomes has won the last two playoff games (2021 and 2022).
As long as Kansas City and Buffalo are still two of the greatest teams in the AFC Conference, they will continue to face off on the route to the Super Bowl, just like the great quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady did from 2001 to 2016. Brady’s playoff record was 11โ6, whereas Manning’s was 3-2. Together, they were recognized as the Most Valuable Player eight times during the season and shared nine Super Bowl victories.
Mahomes proves he is Brady’s replacement by winning his second Super Bowl.
This week, Mahomes remarked, “I grew up watching those games and remember how many memories I have from that.” “Hopefully, we can participate in these fantastic activities and leave a lasting impression on the children who will grow up behind us. The challenge excites me.”
When it comes to big awards, Mahomes leads Allen. While Allen has not yet won an MVP award or a Super Bowl, the 28-year-old has won two of them. Mahomes won the MVP award for the season, the Super Bowl, and the Super Bowl MVP in the same year, becoming him the first player to do so since 1999. Although the two have gotten along well and this week admitted to playing golf together in the off-season, Allen, 27, is aware that a genuine rivalry between the Bills and Chiefs can only develop if the team wins in the play-offs.
“They’ve been at the top of the mountain, they know what it takes to get there – we’ve yet to do that,” he continued. “As a competitor, as a player, to be in a situation like this is something that you dream about.”
Buffalo is slated to play below zero once more.
Kansas City has advanced to three Super Bowls in the last four years and has won the NFL championship in both 2020 and 2023. Strangely, Mahomes’ 16th playoff game will be his first away from home because they have always enjoyed home field advantage throughout those campaigns.
Due to significant snow, Buffalo’s home game against Pittsburgh was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday. The Bills defeated the Steelers 31-17, despite the -7C weather. This week, there has been additional snowfall, and Sunday’s game is once again expected to be in the low teens.
Buffalo usually has a significant advantage while playing in upstate New York’s bitter weather, but Kansas City is better accustomed to the cold than, example, Miami. The Chiefs’ 26-7 victory over the Dolphins last week took place in -20C, which is the fourth-coldest NFL game ever recorded. The ‘Bills Mafia’ are keen to return to the Super Bowl after losing four in a row from 1991 to 1994. Buffalo grabbed the AFC’s second seed from Miami with a good regular season finale.
Both Kansas City and Buffalo had an 11-6 record, with one of the strongest defenses in the NFL belonging to the Chiefs. Their offense lead the league in interceptions, but Mahomes will try to take advantage of Buffalo’s defense, which is dealing with a number of injuries. Twice-winning Super Bowl quarterback Osi Umenyiora told BBC Sport, “He’s been the best quarterback in football over the last half-decade.”
“It’ll be a fascinating match because he’ll be playing for the first time in Buffalo in a game like this so we’ll see how the Chiefs cope with being away from Arrowhead Stadium.”